Interviews

Interviews

Thom Evans

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It’s a typical grey and overcast afternoon in London when I first meet Thom Evans. We’re in a chic and quirky parlor room at Flemings Mayfair Hotel, and all plans are running smoothly. Thom has been a busy man lately. The rugby-player-turned-model has found much success in the fashion industry, and is now ready to sink his teeth into acting. Thom Evans is a special person; you get that impression from him almost immediately. He has “it”, the x-factor that you can’t teach. You speak to him and feel there’s a quiet yet strong sense of self. And as soon as our tea and coffee is finished, I sit down to…

Food & Drink, Interviews, Uncategorized

Interview: Michel Roux, Jr.

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Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Junior, 51, is owner Le Gavroche in Mayfair. He also runs two of London’s other leading restaurants: Roux at Parliament Square and Roux at Langham Hotel. He is the son of Albert Roux and the nephew of Michel Roux – two of the world’s most celebrated chefs. Between service, he also finds time to present BBC’s Masterchef: The Professionals. We sat down with Michel to discuss the evolution of food, his culinary pet hates, and his favourite London restaurant. You’re one of the world’s leading chefs – was it always meant to be? I always wanted to be a chef and I couldn’t imagine being anything…

Finance, Interviews, Property, Uncategorized

Naomi Heaton

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Empires are won an lost in the blink of an eye when it comes to the property market in my experience. So what does it take to establish yourself as a magnate in the field. We talk to Naomi Heaton, CEO and founder of London Central Portfolio (LCP) at her London home to try and understand what it took to build such a formidable reputation.  When did you purchase your first property, how did you raise the capital and where was it? I bought my first flat when I was about 26, I very much wanted to get on the property ladder. I literally beg, stole and borrowed in order to get enough…

Food & Drink, Interviews

Interview: Pierre Koffmann

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Pierre Koffmann was born in Tarbes, France, in 1948. After working the kitchens in Strasbourg and Toulon, he relocated to London in 1970, working with Michel Roux and Albert Roux at Le Gavroche. He soon took the role of head chef at the Roux’s Waterside Inn in Bray, in 1972, before finally opening his own restaurant, La Tante Claire, in 1977. Koffmann won much acclaim and many accolades during this time, not least three Michelin stars. After a brief hiatus, Koffmann returned to cooking in 2010, opening the eponymous Koffmann’s at The Berkeley – a far more informal affair, focusing less on Michelin stars and more on the chef’s culinary…

Culture, Interviews

Interview: Dolf de Borst, The Datsuns

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“All hail The Datsuns, heroes of the New Rock Revolution,” read the front cover of NME in October, 2002. “The Datsuns are what the world needs,” proclaimed Dave Grohl. And so they descended, an antidote to a stagnating UK music scene, introducing a new generation of kids to no-nonsense rock and roll, alongside bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes, and The Libertines. After a ferocious battle between record labels, The Datsuns finally signed an exclusive licensing deal with Richard Branson’s V2 for an unprecedented six-figure sum, going on to collect numerous best-thing-since-sliced-bread awards, and promoted heavily by such deejays as John Peel and Zane Lowe. But it wasn’t the…

Interviews

Zubin Mowlavi

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You have to get up pretty early in the morning to go toe to toe with me in terms of confidence. People believe that confidence is arrogance or cockiness (if your from my side of the pond). The reality is that my confidence always came from a sense of self-believe because to be brutally honest, having others believe in you is great but they wont be there when the deal needs to be signed or the invoice needs to chased. Zubin has the sort of self believe and awareness that we admire in a character here at The Review. Entrepreneur, musician and innovator. He is the founder of Lucid Fusion, a…

Interviews

Idris Elba

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For a thespian known for his fierce roles, namely as street-wise drug-ring leader Stringer Bell on The Wire, Idris Elba is wacky and self-deprecating in person. Whilst knocking back a peppermint tea, he explains that he’s a skilled tap dancer, although has no plans to ever appear on Strictly Come Dancing. “No. There it is,” he says. “It’s a guilty pleasure to watch it”. It’s the first in a line of anomalies about the man, who was born in Hackney, London, in 1972. For instance, despite his acting pedigree, Elba is quite indiscriminate in his viewing habits. He may have won a Golden Globe for his role of the fanatical…

Interviews

Monica Bellucci

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Few women have the title of ‘Siren’, in my opinion. Only a handful make the cut these days. It not only requires an artistic flair that makes them seem both crazy and magnificent in equal parts, but also an otherworldly, almost Elysian quality. If there ever were more than three or four of these empyrean femme fatales, Monica Bellucci would be chairwoman of the board. As writers, we spend months chasing up interview requests and ultimately pursuing the proverbial white whales. Monica Bellucci is The Review’s first female front cover. And what a cover. Spanning a career that arguably began in the late-80s, when she signed with Elite Model Management,…

Interviews

The Aaron Paul Interview

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The greatest show of the last decade may be over, but Aaron Paul’s career is booming. With two new films hitting the big screen, our LA reporter Alexandra Wright sits down with Breaking Bad’s Jesse to discuss crystal meth, Hollywood and snowboarding. 2014 certainly seems to be the year for Aaron Paul. Is that how it feels? “Yeah, I feel very blessed. ‘Breaking Bad’ was definitely good for everyone involved and has allowed all of us to spread our wings. It’s been great”. Obviously Breaking Bad has had a huge impact on your career. Will you be sad to see it go? Do you think it was the right time…

Culture, Interviews

Zoë Wanamaker Interview

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The Royal National Theatre of England recently celebrated its fiftieth birthday with a special evening dedicated to showing just a glimpse of the talents that have graced the venue over the past 50 years.  Emily Hennings explains more. The National Theatre began NTLive in 2009, broadcasting live plays around the world for those who were unable to make it to London. Now, five years later, it shows no sign of slowing down with an ever-growing demand for plays to be broadcast live from the venue. The National now broadcasts to over 500 venues in over 24 countries. One success was ‘The Cherry Orchard’ by Chekov, directed by Howard Davies and…

Interviews

In Memoriam

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If you were to compile some of the most famous interviews of the 20th Century, no doubt John Lennon interviewed by Jann S Wenner, Marlon Brando by Truman Capote and Malcolm X by Alex Haley would all feature high in the list. But none have made an impact on the collective psyche as much as Sir David Frost’s interview with President Richard Nixon. In honour of the passing of Sir David Paradine Frost, OBE, we bring you one of Sir David’s last interviews – with Peter J Robinson in 2012. Some two years ago, I decided that a new magazine that we were preparing to launch needed a big name,…

Automotive, Culture, Interviews

15th Anniversary Gumball Rally

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I remember being 16 years old it was a suitably dull day in my home town so i decided to head into town and loiter as the rest of the youths did. The loitering led to boredom so some twenty minutes later i found myself in GAME purchasing a copy of Gumball3000 for the PS2. A fast paced game that involved driving a range of different vehicles across various countries whilst trying not to crash or get nicked by the eastern European rozzers. This year we were asked by the team at Twisted Land Rover if we should like to join them on the 15 year anniversary of the Gumball Rally travelling…

Interviews

Citizen Caine

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With his distinct cockney accent and rough-around-the-edges charm, Michael Caine gained stardom in the 1960s as the working-class antithesis to the typical upper-class English hero. The Review met with Caine to discuss his successful—yet seesawed—career. How did you get into acting? My father thought acting was for sissies – but he didn’t actively discourage me from doing it. He died soon after I became an actor. But my mother always encouraged me to do whatever I wanted, she was really great. Growing up, how involved were you with the South London gangsters?  I knew a lot of gangsters in London very well. That’s why, when I made Get Carter, I…

Interviews

Q&A – Jean Georges Vongerichten

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Since the hotel opened 60 years ago on a promontory of the same name, Eden Rock has been a magnet for the A-list crowd from Greta Garbo and Howard Hughes to some of today’s most distinguished celebs. 2012 saw the addition of acclaimed chef Jean Georges Vongerichten join the hotel. This is the first collaboration of its kind on St Barths, and Vongerichten is responsible for the hotel’s two renowned restaurants, The Sand Bar and On the Rocks. What made you decide to join Eden Rock-St Barths?  I have always loved St Barths as a vacation destination.  When approached to open a restaurant at Eden Rock I was hesitant since…